White House posts bizarre tribute to Harambe on ten year anniversary of infamous gorilla shooting
The White House has posted a bizarre tribute to Harambe, the gorilla who was shot dead at a US zoo ten years ago which subsequently became an internet icon.
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Harambe died in 2016 after a three-year-old boy fell into the gorilla enclosure at Cincinatti Zoo and was violently dragged and thrown before staff members intervened and shot the animal.
The social media post paid tribute to the silverback gorilla which it described as a "true patriot" and an "icon that became part of internet history, American culture, and an entire generation’s timeline".
"He became a symbol of loyalty, strength, chaos, unity, and the strange beauty of the internet bringing millions of people together for one cause: never forgetting Harambe."
It went on: "Tomorrow marks 10 years since we lost him. Ten years since the moment the world stopped scrolling and collectively mourned something bigger than a meme."
It added his legacy "still lives on".
Harambe's killing sparked a global backlash and led to the rise of the hashtag #JusticeForHarambe online as well as thousands of internet memes.
Today, we remember a legend.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 27, 2026
On this day in history, Harambe would have celebrated another birthday. An icon that became part of internet history, American culture, and an entire generation’s timeline.
Tomorrow marks 10 years since we lost him. Ten years since the moment the… pic.twitter.com/8kfaiuY5zy
The full post reads:
Today, we remember a legend.
On this day in history, Harambe would have celebrated another birthday. An icon that became part of internet history, American culture, and an entire generation’s timeline.
Tomorrow marks 10 years since we lost him. Ten years since the moment the world stopped scrolling and collectively mourned something bigger than a meme.
He became a symbol of loyalty, strength, chaos, unity, and the strange beauty of the internet bringing millions of people together for one cause: never forgetting Harambe.
Everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news.
And somehow, a decade later, his legacy still lives on.
Gone, but never forgotten.
Rest easy to a true patriot.
🕊️🇺🇸 May 27, 1999 — May 28, 2016 Forever in our hearts.
Cincinnati zoo temporarily shut the gorilla exhibit following the incident as footage of the incident went viral.
Videos show the boy had climbed through a barrier and fallen about 3m into the moat.
The gorilla then stops, with the child below him and looking up at him.
But reports claimed this was only part of the picture, and that the boy was dragged by the 17-year-old male western lowland gorilla for about 10 minutes.
He was subsequently taken to a local hospital.
Cincinnati zoo has had the largest number of western lowland gorilla births in the USA.
